Medical Supplies

Father’s Day is Sunday, June 15th. I know, I know. It’s not easy finding the right gift for each of the “Dads” in your life. Fear not. Make your pappy happy by simply matching your Dad type to the list of presents below. Easy. Then get all your gifts ordered and delivered on time, and BAM…you look like a superhero. Just like Dad.

You may be a perfect candidate for the Allegro Experts Network! Every day I’m contacted by local or national news sources looking for potential candidates for phone interviews. Writers and reporters are always looking for people to answer questions or discuss their various situations, conditions, illnesses, parenting issues, health care expertise, use of products, etc. for magazine articles, newspapers and television.

Would you be willing to tell your story or share your experience to a member of the press? When these opportunities arise I’d love to be able to contact you.

Your privacy is our primary concern so rest assured that I would always get in touch with you first (and only you) to describe the opportunity and see if you want to talk to the media source. Even then it is your decision whether to share your name or remain anonymous in print. Plus, we only work with reputable news companies, magazines, journals and newspapers.

If you’d like to join my Allegro Experts Network, please let me know.

Email me today at vpaxton [at] AllegroMedical (dot) com with the following information:

Whatever the reason for your chronic, continuous snoring, be it that you’re getting older, drunker or fatter, you’re probably getting on your bedmate’s nerves, not to mention wiping out any chance they have for a good night’s sleep. Trust me. Now, I’m not talking about the occasional ‘mild’ snoring that you do when you sleep in a certain position, or when you have a cold – we all do it. My dog snores. Babies snore. I’m talking about those loud, intolerable, ground shaking snuffelupagus snores that just won’t quit, minute after minute, night after night. Flashback to my dad. Thank goodness my mom couldn’t hear a thing without her hearing aids in. Doesn’t mean us kids couldn’t. OMG.

I read somewhere that sleep partners of heavy snorers awaken over twenty times per hour. Holy sleep deprivation, Batman! Do yourself and your slumber buddy a favor and take care of it.

First, you need to rule out sleep apnea. If your partner notices that while you are asleep you literally stop breathing for, like 10 seconds or more at a time, or you wake up super tired and you’re excessively sleepy during the day, then you could have sleep apnea. It’s a life-threatening condition and you probably don’t even know you have it. It needs to be diagnosed by a doctor or a sleep specialist. Make an appointment with an ENT, an otolaryngologist (say that 3 times fast) or sleep clinic. Right away.

Plain old snoring, not to be confused with sleep apnea, is characterized by loud breathing sounds, dry mouth when you wake up, no excessive sleepiness during the day and no cessation of breath while you are snoring. It happens when the tissue at the back of your throat vibrates because you either have too much tissue or you have jiggly tissue that vibrates easily. It can also happen when your tongue obstructs your respiration. If you’re single, then you might not even know you snore. However, if you don’t feel rested when you wake up, it could be the result of nighttime snoring. Maybe you should video tape or audio tape yourself in bed…sleeping. That’s always fun.

The reason you snore may not be your fault but it is still completely annoying. You may have been born with a narrow throat or developed a narrow throat around middle-age. Men generally have more narrow air passages than women, so you have that going for you if you’re a guy. Or maybe you have chronic allergies, or sinus infections. Been there. But when it comes to things that you have control over, like how much you drink or smoke (okay, maybe you don’t have control over those), or how fat and/or out of shape you are, or if you sleep on your back, then you might try controlling those things. You’ll realize general health benefits and probably see an end to your snoring condition. When my guy Todd gets just a few pounds overweight, there he goes. Snores like a freight train until he loses the weight.

If you can’t stop getting older, or stop drinking, smoking, having infections, being male, being fat or lumpy, or sleeping in the wrong position, then I suggest you consider the following:

1. Get a special snore pillow designed to support and position your head correctly. You’ll find all of our snoring products at Shop By Condition: Snoring at www.AllegroMedical.com.
2. Get a simple snoring device, like the Snore Wizard.
3. Try sleeping without a pillow at all. Ummm…yeah.
4. Attach something bulky and uncomfortable to your back. It will train you to sleep on your side if you are a chronic back sleeper.
5. Elevate the head of your bed by four or so inches. It supposedly makes your tongue and jaw move forward.
6. Skip that second martini and lay off the ice cream before bed. Both alcohol and high-fat dairy/soy products can cause problems. Alcohol, because it relaxes your airways; and dairy because it creates mucus in your throat.
7. Blow your nose. Boogers are not your friend. If you’re really stuffed up then try some nasal strips, but avoid antihistamines because they relax your throat muscles.
8. Consult your doctor to see if you are a candidate for surgery or a CPAP device (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). A CPAP forces air into your mouth through a mask and makes you breath.

I’m sorry you snore, but see, there are things you can do about it. Or, if you are the victim of a snorer, then print this blog, highlight the headline and leave it on your partner’s pillow.

Just so you know, Mother’s Day ‘08 is Sunday May 11th. If you’re like me it sneaks up. Probably because I agonize over what to get my mom every year.

Here’s how bad I am. My mom was visiting from Nebraska last week and I treated her to a mother-daughter afternoon tea at a local hotel. While sipping our White Berry Loose Leaf, I glanced over and saw a Mother’s Day brochure on the table next to us. In a flash I thought, wow, how do I parlay this little outing into her Mother’s Day gift…a month early? It was all I could do to stop from raising my tea cup, right then and there, and saying, “Surprise! Happy Mother’s Day!”

In the same instant I knew I wouldn’t get away with it, so I decided instead to use my noggin and find a relevant gift…from my own company…shipped on time. With nearly 42,000 products to choose from at Allegro Medical, I couldn’t miss.

In my search, I found the best Mother’s Day gifts for different Mom “types”. Hopefully this will save you a little time, money and agony.

Outdoors Mom

Yoga/Pilates Mom

So, what’s my mom getting? Truth be told, she fits into nearly every Mom type, so I still have some tough decisions to make. But with list like this I can say for sure it will be something she’ll love.

Earth Day, April 22nd, is the perfect time to take stock of your efforts to protect the planet. Are you doing your part? Allegro can help.

Reduce consumption

Save gas and reduce emissions.

Walk, bike, power chair or roll to the store and take your Folding Shopping Cart
to transport your groceries home. Wouldn’t hurt you to get a little exercise, either. While you’re there, remember to buy only local, regional or in-season products whenever you can. You can freeze seasonal products for later. There’s nothing better than sweet corn in the winter.

Save water.

Use rinse-free products for shampooing and bathing. If you must bathe, use a hand-held shower
with a “pause” button to turn the water on and off as necessary. This one massages you.

Don’t mind the packaging.

Some of Allegro’s products are shipped without ‘extra padding’. Take Pediasure
for example. The risk of damage to the product is low compared to the damaged caused to the environment due to the extra waste. If these items arrive a little banged up, our customers are pretty much fine with it (thank you) as long as the product hasn’t been compromised. Of course, we’ll gladly replace anything that arrives damaged.

Select non-toxic or less toxic cleaning products.

For example, Viraguard Disinfectant Cleaner
is nontoxic and biodegradable. Not to mention it kills bacteria, viruses and fungus. Woah. It even comes in a case of 12. Nice. Actually, you should check out all of our Viraguard products.
Yes, you can use them at home.

Recycle

If you’re not already recycling, get on it.

Recycle programs are everywhere. Glass, metal, plastics and paper are collected, separated and processed into new materials or products. Store your products for disposal in this durable Household Disposal Basket

Start a composting program.

Turn food and yard waste into new soil for your vegetable garden by composting. These Easi-Grip Gardening Tools will help get you started.

Buy recycled products and packaging.

What goes around, comes around. To keep recycle programs going, they have to be economically feasible. Help out by buying products made from recycled products. For example, these portable, long-lasting, indoor/outdoor EZ-Access Rubber Threshold Ramps are made from 100% recycled tires.

Keep stuff out of the landfills.

Give your leftovers to someone else.

This includes hazardous waste such as paint, cleaners, oil, batteries and pesticides. Otherwise, dispose of it correctly! For disposal of needles, syringes and blood needle holders, be sure to use a Sharps
container.

Repair, donate and give things away.

Think before you throw out that old coffee table. There are plenty of people who need it. Use local programs such as the Goodwill and Salvation Army or Freecycle to get and to give.

How do Balance Products work?

Balance improvement products are designed with an element of instability to intentionally throw you off balance.

For example, just sitting on a FitBall improves your balance because you use so many muscles to stay seated on the dang thing. You don’t even have to “work out” on it to see results. Sit on it while you’re at your desk at work, or at the dinner table, or watching TV, or scrapbooking, or at your sewing machine. An option to the FitBall is the FitBall Seating Disc, which mimics the FitBall exercise ball, but sits on top of your chair. You can also use it as a balance disc.

Balance Discs sit on the floor, right under your feet or hands while you do squats, lunges or push-ups. They are flat on one side and round, slightly “puffed up” on the other. When you are doing your regular exercises with your hands or feet on the puffy side, you are forced to concentrate on keeping your balance.

The Power Wheel can be used with either your hands or your feet, but it basically challenges your whole body to stabilize while the 14” wheel rolls along the ground.

Balance Pads are square blocks of specialty foam (latex free, anti-fungal, non-absorbing, non-scuff, no-slip) that you stand on while exercising. They are used in mobility training, lower extremity rehab and motor skill training.

Indo Boards – These nifty gizmos are skateboard-shaped wooden boards that you stand on while balancing on top of a roller. I know… Wooohoooo! There are different sizes for different skill levels. The Original Indo Balance Board is super popular with board sport enthusiasts – skateboarders, snowboarders, wakeboarders, kiteboarders and surfers. Indo Boarding is a fun, inexpensive way to get into shape and increase your agility. Recommended for riders ages 4 and up. Totally rad. Makes a great gift.

Don’t like to work out? Well here’s one for you. Stand on a wobble board
while talking on the phone. In no time you’ll have stronger ankles and better balance.

We sell a ton of foam rollers. They are cylindrical pieces of high density foam consisting of millions of tiny cells that bounce back when you press on them, or lay on them. Rollers are super popular and are used mainly for balance training, Pilates and self-massage. There are books and videos full of foam roller uses, but basically you sit or stand on them while doing a variety of exercises. They come in all shapes and sizes, including “half rounds” for starting your balance program. You can even get kits with various sizes included.

We also have Rocker Boards, a Core Board, Twist Boards, Balance Trainers, Balance Beams, Balance Domes, Rotational Flexors and Multi-Balance Boards and more in our Shop by Condition: Balance/Core Stability area of the site.

Okay, so why buy a special product to improve your balance when you could just stand on one leg with your eyes closed? Why not just walk along the backs of park benches or hop across fence posts or slide down a banister in your socks? Wellllllllll, you could get really hurt for one thing. Okay, then, just stand on one leg with your eyes closed! Go for it. But if you invest in one or two simple balance tools, you can do a full range of exercises, have fun and get balanced at the same time.

Balance and Sports

Kids benefit from better balance too. Throw a few fun balance routines into your children’s daily activities and they will quickly get a leg up in their sports performance and confidence, from a very early age. For example, have them play a game of catch while balancing on one foot. Or have them close their eyes, stand on one foot and bend down to touch the ground with one finger. Or you could always get them an Indo Board.

Balance is the basic skill needed for practically every sport. Athletes often do balance training when they are recovering from injuries, but as every good coach knows, balance training is just as effective in preventing injuries.

Why is balance in sports so important? From soccer to snowboarding to tennis, changing your center of gravity to match your moves is the key to efficiency. Better balance improves agility, which allows you to move gracefully, wasting little motion. No matter what activity you are into – dancing, hiking, football, sailing, gymnastics, kayaking, skateboarding, rowing, martial arts, yoga or ballet – you are better off balanced.

Do’s & Don’ts

Don’t expect it to work overnight. Balance takes time.

Don’t worry about looking like a dork while you’re practicing. Just have a laugh. Work out your heart and abs.

The New England Medical Center in conjunction with the Harvard Journal of Medicine published a document today noting that people who shop at AllegroMedical.com tend to be smarter and better looking than most. The control group of non-Allegro shoppers were also found to exhibit poor hygiene skills in addition to lower cognitive abilities. “More studies are required as we can’t yet pinpoint whether smart, good looking people simply choose to shop at Allegro Medical or people who shop at Allegro Medical somehow become smarter and better looking,” says researchers conducting the study.

Upon learning of this groundbreaking study, the team at Allegro Medical is here to celebrate your “smarterness” by offering all smart Allegro Shoppers $10 off their next purchase of over $100. It’s no joke, Just use the code “Smart10” today through Tuesday, April 8, 2008.

Good hygiene, like smart shopping is a learned skill. So if you know anyone suffering from poor shopping practices, help’m out by forwarding this limited time deal on to friends or family in need.

The AllegroMedical.com website is currently in its tenth year and still running strong thanks to the breadth of product offerings, competitive prices, and most importantly, feedback from our most important asset, our customers. With their help we were able to see what people were searching for the most and how customers shopped for the things they needed. Just recently in the past year, we have launched our Shop By Condition and Auto Re-oder functionalities to make it easier for customers to find what they need at prices they love to see.

We have been able to target specific products for multiple segments and put them on display pairing them with competitive prices thanks to the expertise of our product managers and their establishment of favorable relationships with our manufacturers. Our business is simple; offer products that enhance security, confidence, and the quality of life for everyone.

Our Affiliate Program has been key to our company’s success. In order to grow this program and make it available to a wider base of Publishers, we have decided to bring the Allegro Medical Affiliate Program in-house.

Home medical supplies and home health care equipment represent one of the largest industries in the United States. Publishers can now capitalize on the growing demand for health, wellness and fitness equipment by joining the Allegro Medical Affiliate Program today.

Sleep Awareness Week is observed and recognized as one of the national health observances during the month of March. Sleep Awareness Week is March 3rd through March 9th. According to the National Sleep Foundation, the majority of adults require 7.5 to 8.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep but the percentage that actually reach that amount of rest every night falls very short of what it needs to be. Sleep is an important part of our lives in terms of productivity during waking hours, awareness in everyday activities, and more importantly, health.

Are You a Victim of Sleepless Nights?

If you are having trouble catching up on those much needed sheep counting hours after the sun goes down then the Better Sleep Pillow is your solution. This sleep apnea pillow accommodates all kinds of sleepers from those who sleep on their back, stomach, and anywhere in between. The better sleep pillow also improves circulation so you can make sure you’re not starting your day off with stiffness out of bed.

Okay, What About Snoring Problems

The CPAP Multi Mask Sleep Pillow is an extremely effective form of snoring treatment. The Sleep Pillow Mask prevents the airway from closing during sleep. If you don’t prefer a mask, try the Snore Wizard formerly known as the Noiselezz. The Snore Wizard is a Snoring Mouthpiece designed to treat both snoring and sleep apnea. The improved airflow in the back of the throat with the Snore Wizard Snoring Mouthpiece eliminates snoring. I’m actually thinking about getting one for my good friend. He brings the thunder when he’s in a deep sleep. His snoring resembles a Semi-truck down-shifting on the highway.

To read more about these and other remedies to snoring and sleep apnea, visit our Sleep Apnea Blog.

This has been one busy year so far for us at Allegro Medical. We’ve started 2008 with one goal in mind, do what we do a little bit better and that includes offering a large product selection, competitive pricing, constant upgrades to processes for automation, and ultimately, a more enjoyable user experience. We aren’t going down the conventional trail, we’re blazing our own.

It’s Never Too Late to Start

Sure there are those people who say they want to get into shape and they set a New Year’s resolution that is destined to deteriorate by January 15th. I’ve seen it time and time again. I would constantly go to the gym at my University and it would always be packed at the beginning of the year with students determined not to go back home with the extra freshman 15. Then, two weeks later the workout area begins to be a comfortable room with no crowds, no lines, and on a not-so-good note, no spotters.

The biggest reason people don’t workout or cease to continue is because of the lack of convenience. Who wants to wake up two-hours early, drive 15-30 minutes to the gym, get uncomfortable, self-conscious and sweaty all at the same time for about an hour, then drive another 15-30 minutes home before even showering to begin the day? Who wants to lose a couple of hours after work or school to workout? After work should equal maximum relaxation and quality time with loved ones and good friends. And if quality time means working out, well, you’re on the right track. For the others, I have some viable solutions to get jumpstarted on your health because it’s never too late to start.

The Magneciser is a great pedal exerciser that has received plenty of good feedback. Simply place the pedal exerciser under your desk at work or school and start pedaling away. It even adds a little bit of movement to a monotonous day in the office. A more conventional model is the Standard Pedal Exerciser.

Another workout alternative that has been gaining some traction because of it’s recent feature on Oprah is the Weighted Walking Vest by Xvest. The weight vest is a simple workout alternative because it can be used anytime, anywhere. Wearing it during jogging, yoga, playing basketball or doing anything active is sure to jump-start your heart and your health. But that’s not it; just wearing the weight vest is a workout. Strap it on for an afternoon stroll or the nightly post-dinner walk around the block. You can even wear it under your clothes to work or school. We have many sizes and weights of the Xvest Weighted Vests available so there is one customized to fit your needs.

Let’s not forget though, you must supplement your workout with good nutrition and plenty of sleep.

It’s a Leap Year

These only happen once every four years and we are trying to make the most of it. We’ve had a stellar year so far with your help and we want to continue to build on this momentum. We hope to continue to bring you more of what you want at prices that you’re looking for.